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Grossman nets winner in OT as Stars top Wild

Grossman scored a rare goal with 2:37 left in overtime and theStars stretched their home winning streak over the MinnesotaWild to 10 games with a 3-2 victory Saturday night.

Grossman took a pass from Loui Eriksson and fired a shot frombeyond the right circle past a screened Niklas Backstrom. Itwas Grossman's second goal in 138 career games.

"It's a great feeling," Grossman said. "I don't score often sothis was huge. There was good traffic in front and I was luckyenough to get it through. It honestly feels a little unreal."

Steve Ott had his first career two-goal game, and Marty Turcostopped 28 shots for Dallas.

Linemates Mike Ribeiro and Eriksson assisted on both of Ott'sgoals to help the Stars win their second straight at home afterthey matched a franchise record for futility with sixconsecutive home defeats.

The Ott-Ribeiro-Eriksson line has been on a recent tear,combining for 24 points in the last six games, seven pointsagainst Minnesota.

"We knew it was going to be a very tight game and we talkedabout finding ways to win," Stars coach Dave Tippett said."That line certainly took it to heart."

Mikko Koivu and Andrew Brunette scored, and Backstrom made 26saves for the Wild, who are 2-4-4 in their last 10.

Dallas and Minnesota are among seven teams battling for thefinal two Western Conference playoff spots.

"Right now this is the playoffs," Ott said. "Every single nightis a fight for that playoff spot."

The Stars have 74 points, two more than the Wild, who earned apoint with the overtime loss after erasing a two-goal deficitwith a second-period rally.

"To get a point after they got a 2-0 lead is huge, especially atthis time of year," Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire said.

Minnesota has lost three in a row, but all three have been inovertime or a shootout, meaning the Wild is still picking uppoints.

Each team had prime scoring chances in the third period. Dallas'James Neal hit the post with a rebound 1:11 into the thirdperiod, and Turco stopped Minnesota's Peter Olevcky frompoint-blank range with 14:20 left in regulation.

Backstrom made a sharp glove save on Ott's drive from the rightcircle with 3:49 to play in regulation.

Backstrom denied Dallas' Mike Modano from the right circle withunder four minutes left in overtime, and smothered BrendanMorrison's deflection with 2:52 remaining in the extra session.

Dallas is 15-3-1 in its last 19 meetings with Minnesota.

The Stars got an early jump when Ott scored off Eriksson's passthrough the crease 2 minutes into the opening period.